


The Heirs Apparent

by Pilarcraft



Series: A Smarter Man (The Dragon Prince) [2]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Also Sol Regem, Amaya and Gren scheme, Gen, Katolis is a mess, Opeli does fuck all, Viren schemes, Wild mention of Elarion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-03 23:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20461217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pilarcraft/pseuds/Pilarcraft
Summary: There were only two things in Katolis that you could be sure of at any moment. Two things that were never variable. One was the legalist philosophy upheld by High Priestess Opeli, and the other was Marshal Amaya's consistency in her code of honor. These two consistencies had essentially upheld the Katolitan State ever since King Harrow had ascended the throne. For years, the kingdom was ran like a clock, always on time and always upholding welfare for its subjects -something that none of the other kingdoms could boast- only because of these erect pillars.So of course these two pillars would be what drove the kingdom into a gridlock the moment the king was incapacitated.





	The Heirs Apparent

There were only two things in Katolis that you could be sure of at any moment. Two things that were never variable. One was the legalist philosophy upheld by High Priestess Opeli, and the other was Marshal Amaya's consistency in her code of honor. These two consistencies had essentially upheld the Katolitan State ever since King Harrow had ascended the throne. For years, the kingdom was ran like a clock, always on time and always upholding welfare for its subjects -something that none of the other kingdoms could boast- only because of these erect pillars. 

So of course these two pillars would be what drove the kingdom into a gridlock the moment the king was incapacitated.

* * *

Whoever had guided the Moonshadow Assassins on when to struck had did their homework, Viren thought. The Council of Katolis had been barely holding a thread for weeks before the event. The Chancellor had recently been removed by the King for his corruption, the Marshal was on one of her very frequent inspection rounds on the west bank of the River of Lava, and the Steward had recently perished while on a hunt. It was expected that the new Council would be assembled before Prince Callum's day of majority. Due to his unfortunate birth, he was not expected to succeed the throne anytime soon, but was expected to either share his brother's rule or be his closest adviser on the unfortunate event he ascended any time soon. This meant, of course, that the Council would be obliged to train him in his new duties, and for that the Council would need to be assembled beforehand. 

In hindsight, the aforementioned Guide had did their homework on _what to do _as well. For all his intelligence, the High Mage was no strategist and thus had no way of knowing if this was planned or not, but whatever had happened, the assassins had taken the two contenders to the throne with them. Thanks to his conversation with Prince Callum and his daughter's report, Viren knew that the young Prince had made contact with one of the assassins. A child even younger that Claudia, if his absent-minded daughter was to be believed -and _wasn't it interesting, the elves still drafted Child Soldiers, a thousand years later_. Viren had no way of knowing if this was a kidnapping, a coercion, or anything else. Despite the disappearance of the dragon egg despite his conversation with the young prince, he felt the young princes had left of their own accord. Nonetheless, with the heir and his only possible successor both gone, the Council had to function at a better and more efficient pace than it had any any point ever since Harrow became a king. 

But that was easier said than done.

* * *

The problem with the two pillars of the State was, of course, their very consistency. The High Mage frowned as he looked at the crowd below. They had no agency outside of what they had felt was their _role_. Opeli upheld the principle of Legalism. This meant she had no way of differentiating between an emergency situation and the normal day. Amaya was loyal to her sister and brother-in-law but she was also a responsible military officer. This meant she would neither allow Viren -and upstart mage she felt was directly responsible for her sister's untimely death- to take charge nor would she leave the now-unstable frontlines to take charge at home. Viren's compromise, him becoming Lord Protector, a temporary regent until the two children could be retrieved and the line of succession restored, was the best option. He knew this, and he knew they all would as well if they only saw it without their bias. He also knew they would not accept it under any circumstances. 

There was one other way. A Compromise with the Marshal. Amaya was a lot of things, but despite her stubbornness, she could see reason when she was bargained with. Braving the waters of not antagonizing the most skilled member of the council was difficult, but Viren's loyalty was to the realm and the realm demanded this. He expected to bargain with her, to explain to her everything _after _assuming control of the Protectorate. He had to have known his luck would run out. But not _how poorly_.

"People of Katolis!" As he looked at the gathering of the citizens of the Capital, he proclaimed, "Our King's murder had wounded us deeply, but the loss of his sons, _our princes_, is a greater injustice!"

Loss, kidnapping, voluntary trip, Viren was fully within his right to interpret it his way. "By taking the heirs to the throne, our ancient enemies sought to leave us without a leader. It would disgrace the Great Servant King to allow the kingdom he loved and served so dearly be lost in darkness. Though it is not my place, I will humbly take up the battle in our King's name, I beg of you to do the same. For however long it takes for stability to be returned, I will take on the mantle of the Lord Protector of the Realm"

The people of Katolis did not seem to be happy with the new development. That was fine, the newly-crowned Lord Protector was not happy about it either. Providence knew he'd prefer to return to his tower and his studies. But some things had to be done. 

Like a clockwork, The Marshal and her aide arrived to the scene just in the most dramatic moment possible. "_Stop the Coronation!" _Lieutenant Gren shouted, presumably interpreting for her superior, and stop it they did.

* * *

It was only hours later, when the office of the Lord Protector had been withheld, that Viren succeeded in meeting Amaya. "_How could you let it come to this_?" Gren interpreted.

"Do you suggest that I _invited _the assassins?"

"_I had to leave our stronghold at the Breach. Do you have any Idea about the dangerous forces gathered at our border?_" 

"I did _everything _to protect the King." Viren spat as he lost his decorum at those innocent words. "I was willing to give my own life!"

"_Then what went wrong?_" "He did. You _know _he did. In his genius, he found the worst possible moment to regain his moral rigidity, and his own stubborn ways stopped me from helping him. Seven of the most skilled men in this kingdom -all trained by your own hands- dead, countless rare magical enchanting instruments that could help us dearly in the war to come _wasted_, and all because of the man's pride. You know him as well as I do, his bloody pride was always more important to him than lives."

"_You wanted this outcome"_

_That_, of all accusations, was too much. "How _dare_ you suggest-"

"_His death created opportunity for your bloodline_."

"My _bloodline? _Amaya, he was like my own brother. His loss breaks my heart."

"_Then honor him, find his children_"

Heh. And we finally arrive at the most important issue. The heirs to the throne. "That was _always _the plan, Marshal. That is why, contrary to your accusations, I did not transfer the throne to my own bloodline. But they are _gone_. They're with the Moonshadow Assassins, if they're not already dead, they will soon be."

_"The assassin in question is a mere child_"

"... I know that. My daughter's report paints her as a child as old as your older nephew. I preferred not to disclose that to the public as the only thing that insinuates is that the princes took off of their own free will. Revealing that the heir and prince may be traitors to the human race would not do well at this time of emergency, and it _is_ a time of crisis, you know this as well as I do. An empty throne is a beacon of weakness, an invitation for the elves to destroy us or for the other Kingdoms to chip away our land. We _must _defend Katolis, first and foremost, and all Humanity against what's coming. With you leading the military and me leading the polity, we can help."

The interpreter did not need to explain. The Marshal's look relayed all that needed to be relayed. "You think I am being an opportunist. I am, like you, a _servant of Katolis. A Servant _and nothing more."

"_Those are awfully nice clothes for a humble servant. High Mage_"

"And yet, not as nice as our Servant King's." he sighed, "You do not believe me. Fine."

He stepped down. He was not on the throne, two steps below it, but he took the steps, looking the stronger, better built warrior in the eyes, "You take it. Sit on the throne and designate an heir. I pledge to back your claim both in the High Council and the Pentarchy"

"_The throne stays empty until we find the boys_"

Ugh

"And if we don't?"

* * *

_And if we don't?_

This was indeed the question they had to answer. Viren's revelation that The princes had _most __likely _taken off on their own would not do well. Marshal Amaya was a brilliant strategist -if she claimed so herself- but even the greatest strategist cannot make a plan without knowing the important details beforehand. Dispatching Corvus to retrieve the princes -something she could not inform the Mage of; faithful a servant as he might claim to be, Amaya was not convinced the Mage did not have any ambitions regarding his own less-than-noble bloodline or that he wouldn't develop any in the future- without knowing the elf was _not _their captor would not do. 

"_We will decide on that unfortunate eventuality if we reach it_" she signed. Viren sighed. "Can we speak privately? I know the signs as well as your aide does, you know that."

"_Anything you can tell me, you can tell my dearest friend._"

"This I tell you in confidentiality, as there are only seven -now six- in the world that know of what I will reveal. The princes are not the extent of our problems. With them -and now with a Moonshadow Child Soldier who is likely as brainwashed by the dragons as the rest of those damn people, is one of the many artefacts retrieved from the lair of the Dragon King. I can not indulge in telling you _what _it is, but that if the elves take it, it will make Katolis the new Elarion."

_An artefact? _Amaya thought, _Oh, Viren. What did you do?_

* * *

It was a few hours later when their verbal spar resumed. Amaya was paying her respects to her sister's shrine as she always did when she returned to the Kingdom. "You are correct, the princes have to come first. Finding them is the absolute first priority for the Kingdom to survive_._" he said finally, after his attempt in buttering her up with platitudes failed.

_"Good, you see it my way_". Amaya signed, but she _knew _Viren had another trick up his sleeve. He did this often in the council. On the few instances Harrow wasn't already on his side anyway. "_I will be departing at sundown with a rescue party"_

"Of course" the man said with the glint in his eyes that all but confirmed Amaya's suspicion. "But allow me to ask: _What _happens to the Breach? You said it yourself. The situation is precarious. Elves and who-knows-what-else are already preparing to violate the treaties they imposed on us. Without you commanding the forces of the West Bank, do you believe, in your heart, that the Fortress will hold?"

"_make your point_."

"If the Breach falls to the elves, the enemy will surge into Katolis. If the Elves invade Katolis en masse, even my most powerful scrying spells won't deduce the death and destruction that will follow."

_"Then what are you suggesting?_"

"Return to the Breach, hold it fast. It is where you are needed most. A party of our best, all picked by you, will be dispatched immediately to find the princes. If you doubt by intentions, I will leave the leadership to my own children."

"_I do doubt your intention, Mage. If I return to the Breach, your children will not lead the rescue. My Lieutenant will._"

"Really?" Viren snorted, "You'd leave one of your most skilled commanders to a wild goose chase in our borders, leaving you aideless in the Breach and your officer busy with work fit for guards? If you say so."

* * *

_'__Viren has no idea about Corvus__' _Amaya signed at Gren later when they were alone. '_make sure he continues to remain ignorant of this matter. I do not trust the Mage. If he doesn't plan to stab you in the back already, he will soon._'

"Yes, my lady. I will-"

'_stall the rescue, inform Corvus of the artefact and tell him to retrieve the princes and that damn Elf, but stall the rescue party as much as you can. Viren's children cannot get their hands on this artefact._'

* * *

As the commander and his superior schemed, The High Mage worked in his own room. The Mirror _had _to reveal its secrets soon. He had had no luck in finding anything, maybe one of his new captives did. But as he was talking, it was his daughter that broke his concentration.

"Why didn't you tell me Callum was a mage?"

_What?_

**Author's Note:**

> I changed a few aspects of how Katolis as a state functions because Katolis as a state does not function at all in the canon of the show. Seriously. It's absurdly stupid in design even compared to your average feudal realm in Europe where wars ended if the king running them did.


End file.
